Support Your LOCAL hobby shop?

[Casy jHOnes]

I try to buy some stuff at local shops but the prices are crazy. Had to pay $4 more to turn Right instead of Left (turnouts) because of price changes and the way shelves stocked. Asked if I could maybe pay a little less since buying over $100. Of coarse not.

Its hard to justify when I can pay WAY less online + no sales tax (9%)

Is it the same elsewhere? Should I feel bad about buying online?

I guess I kind of get the same feeling as I would at H Depot. If the prices are high and they don't exactly offer great service then why shouldn't I buy from some strangers in NY who charge reasonable and ship order correctly and on time.

Just curious what others think.

[Rangerover]

Wish I had a local hobby shop. I'd be glad to pay the $4.00 extra. My nearest hobby shop is a 120 mile round trip.  I buy all on line so I wait 3-10 days and pay postage. Have you been to the PO to mail a box of anything lately, it ain't cheap more than $4.00.

I have a friend who owns a quite large outdoor sporting store, hunting and fishing stuff. One time a customer was complaining he could get his item on line for $6.00 cheaper. He paid for the item and the owner took the item and put it under the counter. The customer looked at the owner and said what the (expletive's) are you doing. The owner told him to come back in 3 days to pick it up, after all it would take at least that long to receive it through the mail after he paid for it. The owner put it on the counter and the customer left in a huff with his item. The owner exclaimed, I'm (expletives) glad he won't be back!

The customer was a rude dude from the get go. Sometimes I wonder if I would have told the guy to leave with his attitude and please  don't come back long before he bought anything, complained about everything.

[Tylerf]

I live in a city with many hobby shops and I go to about 2 of them regularily. There was another but after some madening trips to it I just stop going there. But the two I like I know many people at and I'm known very well. The store itself is slightly higher priced than the other but it's fun to go there and I feel like I should contribute by buying there. So I try to balance my time at either store.

[Yampa Bob]

In the example given above, both the customer and store owner were wrong in their conduct.

First, the customer never says "I can get it cheaper online".  How much cheaper?  $10?

At that point the owner should agree: "Yes, I realize that, but I have overhead and employees to pay, and you are saving shipping charges."

So the guy decides to pay the price, no reason for more conflict.  Putting the item under the counter to prove a point was childish. The owner should have handed the item to the customer and said "Thank you, please come back again".

I once asked a store owner if he could discount an item, the owner said: "No, I have to feed my family the same as you".  I felt ashamed, and handed over the money with no further comments.  Today, that store owner and I are good friends, and I continue to patronize his store.

[Paul M.]

My LHS has great prices (20% off) although sadly it doesn't pay the bills. The wife runs the store and her husband has another job.

[Yampa Bob]

I am very fortunate to have Caboose Hobbies, which I believe is the nation's largest train store, only 200 miles away.  I visit them about once a month, and the store is always packed with customers.  They are open 7 days a week.

If I need something in a hurry, I call in the morning, the item is usually here the next day.

[ta152h0]

in my years i have bought at least a cord of balsa wood locally. I personally like to hang around hobby stores. Where else can you get a guy to start up a SuperTigre 61 in the store at 8 pm ? All the stuff you need is right there. Where else can you get a guy to happily set up your new DCC locomotive that you just bought from his business ? Where else can you get a helicopter flown expertly in the store before you take it home / I buy stuff online also but i find there are secrets and you still need to go to the hobby store and get stuff you forgot to buy. i am sure online sellers also have families to feed and sometimes it comes down to paying local taxes on your purchase.

[Casy jHOnes]

Thanks for opinions. I just want to clarify. R Hand atlas 851 $20. L Hand atlas 850 $16.50. I only pointed out that they are same item. $3-6 difference on a $20 item is significant.

About $13-14 at most online sites. I didn't argue with the guy OR say that its way cheaper online. I bought the items & I'll go back when I need something same day.

Our state is just driving me to buy more & more online. Why would I pay 9% tax on top of already higher prices. If I beleive the pictures then the place in NY looks like a nice family run business even if I never see them in person.

[Eryalen]

I am very fortunate to have Caboose Hobbies, which I believe is the nation's largest train store, only 200 miles away.  I visit them about once a month, and the store is always packed with customers.  They are open 7 days a week.
If I need something in a hurry, I call in the morning, the item is usually here the next day.

I agree, if you find a good hobby store any slight difference in price is worth it for the service and advice they offer. My usual store is The Credit Valley Railway Company in Streetsville, Ontario. Their prices are comparible to On-line prices when you consider the C$ xchange rate.

[darrellwinstonhill]

I, too, have been comparison shopping my local hobby shop vs on-line. In IL, the sales tax is close to 10%, which I think is ridiculous.

Here is where I have settled:  I buy large bulky items from the store because I know that I'll get hit with additional shipping charges for larger items.  For smaller, lighter items, I'll buy from a few online vendors and from e-Bay.

I have found an e-Bay vendor that ships via US postal svc for $4.95 in most instances.

Unfortunately, I have yet to find a great hobby shop in my area that carries a lot of train supplies.  And, several hobby shops have closed recently, I'm sure as a result of the bad economy.

I think if I had a great train store nearby, and the prices weren't too high relative to on-line, I'd patronize it more.

[lmackattack]

I buy track, freight cars, and all the little things from my LHS. expencive items like locos and some DCC items I buy online. this way I feel I support my LHS and save a little on the big things.  the LHS has a wierd discount. you have to spend x amount of money and then they give you a discount on the next purchase. One of the LHS that I had worked for as a kid was giving me a %20 discount but they never had anything on the shelf. thats when I started going to the current hobby shop for my needs.  I live in a city with lots of shops so im a little spoiled.

[Yampa Bob]

I forgot to mention that Caboose Hobbies has great discounts on all train items. During special sales, everything in the store is discounted an additional 15%.

I have saved up to 40% on many of my loco and car set purchases.

My final thought, I refuse to buy from any store or online source that requires me to deal with the factory on warrantly issues.  If I get a defective item from Caboose, they give me credit and even reimburse me for all shipping charges, so I am not out a single penny.  They then deal with the factory or distributor for replacement.

[pdlethbridge]

It's too far from Rochester, New York

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

I am very fortunate to have Caboose Hobbies, which I believe is the nation's largest train store, only 200 miles away.  I visit them about once a month, and the store is always packed with customers.  They are open 7 days a week.

Next time I'm in Denver I'm going to be sure to visit the store (the last time someone else was driving and the Shepler's Western store won out over Caboose Hobbies  ).

It seems that half the time I get to a local hobby shop here at home, they don't have what I need.    Perhaps they would be able to order something for me, but then it really becomes a question of time for me. If the store orders something for me, often there's no telling when the item will come in, and then I have to make a second trip back to the shop to pick it up. If I order something on line, usually it's exactly what I want from a supplier who has it in stock, and I receive it in a reasonably short time. So I'll buy it on line, where I can save the time of the trip to the store, place the order at my leisure (usually way after business hours), and get exactly what I want, even if I do have to pay shipping.

[Daylight4449]

who is the ebay vendor, i love ebay but some people are horrible.